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If you’ve made a good impression on the nursing recruiter during your first interview, you’ll likely be invited for a follow-up meeting called a panel interview. You’ll meet with several representatives of the hospital and department you’ll be working in. Though panel interviews can seem intimidating, they require many of the same strategies you used for your first meeting with the employer.

1.

Do your homework prior to the interview. It’s perfectly acceptable to ask about the structure of the panel interview when you schedule it. Ask who you'll be meeting with for insight into what kinds of questions they’ll ask and how you should interact with them. For a staff nurse position, for example, you may interview with the unit manager, charge nurse and one or two fellow nurses. For a management position, you might meet with managers from other departments. Also ask if the facility will make a decision after this interview or invite finalists for another round.

2.

Prepare for more intensive questioning than you faced at your first interview. The stakes are higher with a panel interview, and you’ll likely encounter tougher questions. Your interviewers may ask you to demonstrate some of the nursing tasks required for the department you’re applying to work in. They’ll also likely focus on “behavioral questions,” in which they describe a scenario and ask you to illustrate how you’d respond or how you’ve dealt with similar situations at previous jobs. For example, they may ask you how you’d treat a patient who’s acting aggressively because he’s intoxicated. Or, they may describe a set of symptoms to you and ask what kind of treatment you’d administer to the patient.

3.

Interact with everyone, even though it’s tempting to focus on the panelist with the most authority or who asks you the most questions. However, each person contributes to the hiring decision so it’s crucial to make a good impression on everyone. Speak primarily to the person you’re responding to, but make a point of making brief eye contact with each person.

4.

Ask well-thought out questions. Interviewers usually ask at the end of the interview if you have any questions for them, and this is also standard practice in nursing interviews. They aren’t just being polite; they’re evaluating you based on your inquiries. They want to see you’ve researched the facility and the type of position you’re interviewing for, and they want to know you’re interested in learning more about the corporate culture. Ask about a typical day in the unit or about the kinds of patients and community the facility serves. Prepare a question for each panelist, tailoring your questions to their position at the facility and relative to your potential role there.